I use the older CM Storm CSX BATTLE PAD DP (Cooler Master SGS-6000-KSX-1)
It works fine with my Steelseries Kinzu (optical mouse) and its also a 5mm thick pad at 450 x 350 mm. Im a fan of the plain black look with just the logo in the corner.

you mean on the mousepad?
despite of what everybody says, even low contrast prints on mousepads DO impact mouse sensor tracking... in most cases it doesnt matter and the mouse still tracks fine, but... why risk causing problems? just to have some cool icon on the mousepad? mhhh

maybe in the future we will make a series with cool icons instead of focusing on performance only... what kind of graphics would you like to see?

I use the older CM Storm CSX BATTLE PAD DP (Cooler Master SGS-6000-KSX-1)
It works fine with my Steelseries Kinzu (optical mouse) and its also a 5mm thick pad at 450 x 350 mm. Im a fan of the plain black look with just the logo in the corner.

This one sounds a lot like that one but improved slightly.
Great Review!

yeah i like those older ones too...
but these new ones are really notably better... i dont know if its worth upgrading for you, but for me it was...
and i think id even have upgraded if id have had to pay for it hehe
at least in my opinion... the new bonding process makes the edges more durable and the top layer is woven really really fine, and soooooo smooth...

when playing games i actually use the BattlePad SSK right now...
im used to hard surfaces cause i used to play on my desk without a surface for a long time hehe... like frederik said, for high sensitivity hard pads feel more accurate... but im going to try a soft one now.

not because of tracking, its probably going to be the same or slightly less accurate... BUT, with the hard pad my wrist feels uncomfortable and hurts after some time, these thick soft rubber base pads are more comfortable... im using one at work and the skin on my wrist is softer and not as thick as before, and it doesnt feel uncomfortable anymore like it used to every once in a while

I just gotta say...keep up the good work CM. Just bought the Storm Sirus. Very very happy with it. Quality is fantastic. Same as my Storm Sniper case. Gonna be strongly considering these pads too along with a new mouse and keyboard.

it uses an avago 9500 laser sensor as far as i know, so compatibility with mousepads shouldnt be an issue...

its all up to personal preference then...
try to find a shop that lets you try different mousepads, or maybe an internet cafe to try different mousepads... or try the mousepads your buddies are using...

there are essentially 3 types of mousepads:

hard
hard mousepads have solid surfaces made out of plastic or sometimes even metal or glass
like frederik explained, they are great for high sensitivity (high dpi) players who dont move the mouse around a lot. since the surface is solid, you can maneuver the mouse around very accurately. they have the lowest glide resistance as well as far as i know.
they are not comfortable though, especially after long use...

soft
soft mousepads tend to have a rubber core with a fabric glued to the top.
the thickness of the rubber varies a lot, and so does the consistency of the rubber, some are very spongy, others rather hard, and some dont have a rubber core at all.
the facric widely varies as well, its usually synthetic but some actually use cotton.
some use a very fine mesh, others rough... some fibres are very slick and smooth and result in low friction, others are very rough and "furry"

hybrid
hybrid mousepads are flexible and provide some sort of wrist support, but have a hard surface that gives them a nice low friction glide

I just gotta say...keep up the good work CM. Just bought the Storm Sirus. Very very happy with it. Quality is fantastic. Same as my Storm Sniper case. Gonna be strongly considering these pads too along with a new mouse and keyboard.

Click to expand...

thanks
im not a big fan of some of our products, but yeah, sniper and sirus and these mousepads are awesome... trooper is sweet too...and i really like trigger and quickfire rapid as well... they arent perfect, but pretty damn awesome considering these are our first headset and 2 keyboards

oh one more word of advice, if you look for soft mousepads, definitely check the corners...
if you can see obvious glue marks or can even pull the layers apart, this mousepad wont last long, and the corners will ever start curling or the fabric layer comes off... some might even develop bubbles in the center...